


Konoha no Sakura

by Right2nowthen



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Anbu Haruno Sakura, BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Women, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Eventual Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi, Eventual Light Romance, F/M, Gen, Genius Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura-centric, Lots and lots of action, Not romance-centric, Politics, Sorry Not Sorry, Strong Female Characters, Strong Haruno Sakura, War, Women Being Awesome, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-05 21:33:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13396665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Right2nowthen/pseuds/Right2nowthen
Summary: What does it mean to be a ninja? What does it mean to belong to a village? Sakura doesn't know, but she's bound to figure it out eventually.(Or, Sakura gets in over her head and saves the world. Maybe.)





	1. Chapter 1

After the fifth time her four year old daughter read a children's book to her, she decided that it was time she and Kizashi had a talk.  
"I think we should start Sakura's ninja training early."  
Kizashi's brow furrowed, a rare serious expression on his face.  
"I thought we decided that we wouldn't pressure her to become a ninja?"  
Mebuki worried her lower lip with her teeth.  
"I know, but I think she's intelligent enough to make that choice now. And I don't want her falling behind her yearmates. There are going to be a lot of clan children in her class. You remember what the academy was like for us. Do you really want her to go through the same things we did?"  
Kizashi frowned.  
"That was during war time Mebuki."  
Mebuki pursed her lips.  
"I know, but what if there's another war? Sandaime-sama's not getting any younger. Ever since Yondaime-sama passed the village has been weakened. It's only a matter of time until fighting breaks out again."  
"Training her early wont keep her out of it."  
Mebuki sighed.  
"But it'd be good if she had more than academy basic, especially if Sandaime-sama has to lower the academy graduation age again."  
Kizashi stared over Mebuki's shoulder thoughtfully. It was times like these that she envied her husband. He was somehow always able to see all sides of a situation, although it took a lot to get him to act.  
An unhappy frown told her that this time, at least, he was forced to agree with her.  
"Alright, but we let her set the pace."  
Mebuki frowned this time.  
"That might work for academics, but for taijutsu and bukijutsu discipline is key."  
Kizashi grunted in annoyance.  
"Those are your specialties, so I wont argue. Just don't push her too hard Mebuki."  
A playful light entered his eyes.  
"I know how much of a taskmaster you can be."  
Mebuki sniffed.  
"I just know how to get things done is all."  
They smiled at each other and shared a quick kiss before going back to their respective tasks.  
\--  
The next morning Mebuki took Sakura to a training ground near their apartment.  
"Ok, Sakura-chan. We discussed what being a ninja is last night and now I need an answer. Do you wish to become a ninja?"  
Mebuki knew she hadn't given her daughter much time to think about it, but she had made it clear that being a ninja was dangerous and could get Sakura hurt. If she wasn't sure then there was no point in training her now.  
It was quiet for a minute before she got the answer she half expected.  
"Mama and Papa are ninja, I want to be a ninja as well."  
Mebuki sighed internally.  
This is why she wanted to start her daughter early. If Sakura wasn't cut out to be a ninja then it was better to find out before she entered the academy. It was unlikely that her answer would change anytime soon, anyway.  
She smiled encouragingly at her daughter.  
"Ok, we'll start with taijutsu then. Taijutsu is the foundation of combat. Almost all jutsu rely on taijutsu to make them work. Taijutsu is, very simply, physical techniques that a ninja uses to attack and defend. At its core, taijutsu is all about how you move. I'll demonstrate."  
As her daughter watched, Mebuki went through the first academy kata. She did so quickly and efficiently, moving too quickly for Sakura to track.  
She looked at her daughter to see that Sakura's eyes were sparkling.  
"Mama, that's so cool!"  
Mebuki smiled.  
"If you work hard, you can do that too."  
Sakura grinned and nodded.  
"Yeah!"  
"Ok. It's always best to start training by doing stretches and warming up. Follow after me..."  
\--  
A week of taijutsu training was enough for Mebuki to deem Sakura ready for bukijutsu. Weighted rubber shaped like shuriken barely fit in her chubby hands, but Sakura didn't hesitate to chuck them at the target, even when she missed by a mile.  
Mebuki chuckled.  
"One at a time, Sakura-chan."  
After adjusting her grip and showing her how to quickly withdraw the shuriken from the small pouch on her thigh, Mebuki sat back and watched as Sakura gradually started to hit the target more and more.  
Mebuki was more than satisfied with her little girl's progress. She showed a natural talent for the ninja arts that Mebuki hadn't expected. She was eager and picked up the forms quickly, although her speed, strength and stamina had a long way to go.  
Kizashi had expressed equal surprise at how quickly she was picking up reading and writing now that they were actively teaching her. She'd already read through a few introductory ninja texts that the academy used, with a little help.  
Her baby girl loved learning, Mebuki thought. Sakura had already asked about when she could go to the academy, wanting to make friends, especially when Mebuki commented about her needing sparring partners her own age.  
It would be at least a year before she would be ready to attend the academy, though. At least that was what Mebuki thought.  
\--  
"Happy birthday, Sakura-chan!"  
Mebuki and Kizashi chorused, wide grins on their faces.  
Sakura squealed in joy when they showed her the cherry blossom decorated cake.  
"It's so pretty!"  
Kizashi laughed.  
"I'm glad you like it. Your poor Papa spend hours making it, after all."  
Mebuki smiled at her husband fondly before looking back at Sakura.  
"So, have you decided what you want for your birthday honey?"  
"I wanna go to the academy!"  
Silence. Mebuki hmmed before smiling again.  
"Your dad and I will discuss it, ok?"  
"Ok!"  
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing card games and chatting. At one point Kizashi ducked out and came back with sushi for dinner.  
Mebuki was glad he'd gotten the day off from intelligence for the occasion. They probably wouldn't have many days all together like this once Sakura started at the academy.  
Mebuki was planning on returning to service once Sakura began school, after all.  
Unlike Kizashi, she didn't have a village post so she'd be returning to the field.  
She would miss the time with Sakura, but she wasn't the type to stay home alone all day.  
Once she put Sakura to bed, she went to the dining room where Kizashi was setting up tea for them.  
She took her cup with a "thanks" and took a seat. It was going to be a long night.  
Kizashi sighed, looking more burdened than she liked to see him.  
"She's too young, Mebuki."  
Mebuki hmmed.  
"She is. On the other hand, she needs friends her age."  
"What if she graduates early, like that Uchiha boy?"  
Mebuki took a sip of her tea before shaking her head.  
"Sandaime-sama doesn't like graduating kids early. Only in exceptional circumstances."  
"She is exceptional, Mebuki. I don't want her ending up in ANBU before her age mates graduate the academy."  
"That wont happen. She doesn't have the chakra reserves to enter the shadow ranks that young."  
"Her reserves could still grow."  
"Kizashi, what's really bothering you?"  
"She's a sweet girl, Mebuki. Our sweet baby girl. Shouldn't she at least have the chance to enjoy the peace while she's young?"  
Mebuki sighed.  
"With her potential she's not going to remain obscure for long, no matter what we do. She's eager and talented, it's only a matter of time. At least we know she'll be prepared. At least she wont be teased and bullied like you were. Or completely out of her depth like I was. I wish she could stay innocent too, but I want her to live more."  
It was silent for awhile before Kizashi let out a frustrated sigh, hand combing through his spiky pink hair.  
"It looks like I'm outvoted on this one. One question. Aren't you even a little concerned that she'll be sent into the field too early?"  
Mebuki felt a twinge of fear, but calmed herself.  
"Of course I am. We just have to do our best to make sure she's ready. I have faith in my daughter."  
Kizashi studied her for a moment before shaking his head.  
"I hope you're right."  
\--  
The first day of the academy was the most exciting day of Sakura's short life. She followed the other new kids to the first year's classroom and took a seat in the middle.  
She was a bit uncertain about her classmates. Most of them were a year or two older than her. She hoped she'd be able to make friends.  
A few minutes later a man wearing a bandana and sporting a goatee came in.  
"My name is Daikoku Funeno and I'll be your sensei this year...  
Silence!"  
The kids that had still been talking to each other immediately quieted down.  
"You are here to become ninja of Konohagakure no Sato. You must remain focused and aware of your surroundings at all times. I will do my best to teach you well, but without your efforts it will be meaningless. Am I understood?"  
There was some shuffling from the uncertain kids.  
"I expect an answer!"  
"Yes, sensei!"  
Sakura was a little intimidated, honestly. The older kids took it all in stride, seemingly unconcerned with being lectured.  
Sakura, on the other hand had almost never been yelled at by anyone. Her stomach sank at the idea of being chastized and she vowed to herself to be a good student.  
She was quiet and focused for the rest of the day as school supplies and books were passed out and lockers assigned.  
That night after taijutsu and weapons practice with her mother she started reading her books only to find that she could do the basic reading and writing exercises easily already.  
Surprised, she looked through the other books which had basic math and an outline of the village's history and hierarchy. The information was easy to remember and after an hour or so she had a fairly good grasp on the material. She'd have to work a bit on the math, but...was this it?  
She was a little disappointed. If this was going to last them all year she was going to get bored quickly. Her dad's lessons were a lot harder.  
Sakura sighed, already making plans to study ahead. Her father was always saying how important preparation was, after all...  
\--  
"Funeno-sensei?"  
He looked up to see a small pink haired girl who he vaguely recognized as one of his new students.  
"What can I help you with?"  
"I was wondering if I could get a list of the second year books? I'd like to check them out from the Academy library.  
He raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
"Have you finished with the first year texts?"  
The girl shifted uncomfortably.  
"Umm, mostly."  
He shot her a stern look.  
"And do you feel like you've learned everything in those books?"  
The poor girl bit her lip and gazed at him with wide-eyed nervousness.  
"Uh, maybe?"  
The squeakiness of her voice made him sigh internally. Most of his mind, however, was occupied by the possibility that this girl really was as precocious as she seemed. He reached a decision.  
"Alright. I'll give you the list of books and permission to read in class if you pass the end of year written exam. You'll take it after school tomorrow."  
"Oh! Uh, t-thank you Funeno-sensei."  
As he watched the slightly panicked child excuse herself, Funeno reflected to himself that if she turned out to be a prodigy no one would ever expect it. It was definitely the hair.  
\--  
Sakura sat at her desk after everyone left, nibbling on her lip nervously. Funeno-sensei rambled on about the rules for completing the test before passing it to her.  
Scanning over the questions, Sakura's shoulders slumped in relief. She could do this.  
\--  
Funeno rubbed his goatee thoughtfully. He'd been right. The youngest member of his class was probably also the smartest. A 93 was an excellent score, especially with how little time he'd given her to study.  
He looked over his notes on Haruno Sakura. Her physical conditioning was also near the top of the class, despite her being younger than the other students by a year. And she was obedient and disciplined, too.  
He sighed. As much as he didn't like the thought of sending a kid out into the field early, the standing policy was that teachers should promote students that were ready to advance in grade.  
He'd have to talk to Asami-sensei soon. If Haruno was going to skip a year it needed to be now so she had time to catch up to the other students.  
\--  
Sakura let her jaw hang open, even though she knew her mom would have told her to close it.  
She was going up a year! She was so nervous she didn't know what to do. Would the second year kids hate her? So far she hadn't made any friends in her year, maybe someone in the second year class would be her friend?  
"Haruno-chan, I spoke to your mother and she said you work on the Academy taijutsu with her? That's good, since the other students in my class are just learning it."  
Funeno-sensei and Asami-sensei were waiting for a response from her. She should answer.  
Sakura closed her mouth with a click.  
"Umm, thank you. I mean yes."  
Funeno-sensei smiled at her, dimples showing.  
"You'll start tomorrow, so make sure to get a good nights sleep. And Haruno-chan?"  
"Yes?"  
"Good work."  
\--


	2. Chapter 2

Kishimoto: "the clan kids are so much stronger, but it's not like they had training at home. They're just genetically superior!"

Suuure.

Now think about what 'training at home' entails and this chapter will seem obvious.

Also: trigger warning this chapter for content that could be construed as child abuse.

\-----  
Sakura stood in the training field going through her kata with the other second years. She got odd looks every once in awhile, but that was it. She'd tried to talk to a boy named Kenji that morning only for him to ask what a little kid was doing in the class and then ignore her. She'd also heard a couple of girls talking about how weird her hair color was. Thinking about it made her flush an unflattering shade of red so she tried not to.  
At least here she was safe. Only the teacher talked to her to occasionally correct her stance and that wasn't very often.  
She was starting to think that she should have stayed in the first year, but her mama had explained that Academy rules were clear; she passed the test so she had to take classes with the second years.  
At least she'd kind of blended in to the first year class. She'd been ignored because she was so quiet, but she hadn't been bullied.  
Asami-sensei walked by.  
"Good form, Sakura-chan."  
She appraised her kata a few seconds longer.  
"Put a little more force behind your strikes."  
"Hai, sensei."  
Sakura focused on connecting her next jab to an imaginary opponent like her mama had showed her.  
"Good."  
Asami-sensei walked away and Sakura focused more on her forms, no longer letting her thoughts distract her.  
"Suck up."  
She faltered for a second before continuing determinedly. Her mama said focus was crucial during taijutsu training.  
She couldn't cry while doing her forms.  
Maybe it'd be better if she graduated soon. The academy wasn't like she thought it would be. And this grade's bookwork wasn't much harder than the last, either.  
Hopefully the other kids wouldn't be mean once the class started sparring practice.  
\--  
"Ok Sakura, I want you to hit me."  
Sakura was crestfallen.  
"Why, mama?"  
Mebuki smiled soothingly, the sun glinting off her short blonde hair.  
"It's ok honey. Ninja need to spar to get better at fighting. Pushing each other is how we show that we care about our comrades.  
Because of that, a few bruises here and there aren't a big deal. You too will have to learn to let it go when someone hits you in a spar. Are you ready?"  
Sakura looked at her mama's loving, encouraging expression. She could be brave for her, she could.  
"Yes, mama."  
Sakura ran forward, jumped up and punched Mebuki in the jaw. Mebuki smiled.  
"Good, Sakura. Now try hitting harder. Don't worry, I'll be ok."  
Sakura was reassured. Maybe it wasn't such a big deal after all.  
"Ok."  
This time she caught her mama on the lip. Mebuki grunted and used her sleeve to stem the bleeding.  
"I'm so sorry, mama!"  
Sakura hovered, not knowing what to do.  
Mebuki smiled, only wincing a little as her split lip stretched.  
"It's ok. A little blood is no big deal."  
After a few minutes the blood had stopped and Mebuki restarted their training.  
"Ok. Are you ready to try taking a hit, Sakura?"  
Sakura bit her lip. It was a bit scary, but she trusted her mama.  
"I'll try."  
Mebuki smiled.  
"Try not to blink, ok? A ninja must keep their eyes open in a fight, even when they're hit."  
Mebuki moved towards Sakura quickly and punched her lightly on the cheek.  
Sakura cringed reflexively and then touched her face, wide-eyed.  
Mebuki knelt at her level frowning worriedly.  
"Are you ok, honey?"  
After a few seconds of recovering, Sakura removed her hand, looking at her mama a little uncertainly.  
"I'm ok, I think."  
Mebuki frowned slightly.  
"Do you want to stop for the day?"  
"No, we start sparring in a couple weeks. I want to be ready."  
Mebuki smiled.  
"There's my determined girl. Ok, we'll spar now. Hits are allowed, but no serious injuries. Are you ready?"  
They made the seal of confrontation and moved together quickly. Mebuki blocked most of Sakura's hits instead of dodging and retaliated with light punches when Sakura didn't get back out of range quickly enough.  
Most of their sparring had consisted of Sakura attacking and Mebuki defending with swift pokes to correct mistakes. They occasionally did defensive drills, but Mebuki was adamant that until her strength increased she needed to focus on dodging and defense. It was too dangerous to try to block hits until she got older, Mebuki said.  
That didn't mean that her mama didn't want her to learn how to handle being attacked.  
By the end of practice Sakura had several red marks that were likely to bruise and was sore all over.  
Mebuki smiled and hugged her gently after they made the seal on reconciliation.  
"I'm so proud of you, honey. Now, you know what time it is?"  
"What?"  
"Anmitsu time!"  
Sakura smiled. She had the best mama ever!  
\--  
Sakura raised her hand timidly.  
"Sakura-chan."  
Asami-sensei waited patiently for her answer.  
"The first war started with a trading dispute between us and Kirigakure no Sato. Kumo got involved because they shared trade routes with Kiri. Suna got a lot of their goods from Hi no Kuni at that point and joined us while Iwa just wanted to expand their territory.  
"Correct. Can anyone tell me what the trade dispute was about?"  
As another student aswered she heard a student behind her speaking quietly.  
"How does a pink-haired midget like her always know the answers?"  
Another student snorted.  
"Maybe she keeps them behind her huge forehead."  
Sakura looked down at her notes in mortification, hiding her eyes behind her hair.  
She had to get out of here.  
\--  
Sakura's first spar was against a mousy brown haired girl named Eri. It was all at once everything she expected and nothing like she thought it would be.  
"Begin!"  
Asami-sensei called out and they ran at each other. The other girl was fast and a head taller than Sakura. When she went to dodge the girl's opening punch she nearly took a knee in the stomach and had to awkwardly twist her torso out of the way to escape.  
Backpedalling and trying to regain her balance she dodged a slow follow up kick before dancing away. Sakura tilted her head in consideration.  
Eri was right handed. And she balanced better when kicking with her left leg.  
Sakura's mama would have called that 'sloppy.'  
Running at her recovered opponent Sakura feinted to the right before dodging left to avoid the predictable punch headed to where she would have been. She nimbly stepped out of range of the girl's left leg and punched her in the face with a brutal right hook.  
Eri hit the ground and didn't get up.  
Adrenaline surged in her ears and she felt slightly light-headed even as they made the seal of reconciliation. Was this what it felt like to win? It was nothing like sparring with her mother. She felt elated even as she felt nauseated for putting such a dejected look on Eri's face. Was it ok to be happy even if the other girl wasn't?  
Sakura remembered her mama's words about caring for your comrades. She smiled uncertainly at the other girl, hoping that their spar would make her stronger in the future. Eri looked at her oddly so she walked over to explain even as another pair took the field.  
"You did good. You just favor your right side too much."  
The confused look turned to disdain.  
"I don't want advice from a pink-haired weirdo with a huge forehead. Go away."  
Sakura stared in shock as the other girl turned away. She looked down, fisting her hands before muttering a quick 'sorry' and running away.  
She slammed the bathroom door open and threw herself into one of the stalls, already crying. Why did she apologize? Why was she so stupid and tongue-tied even though she knew the answer to every test question?  
She was angry at Eri, but most of all angry at herself. She didn't want to be in this class anymore, but she was worried any other class would be the same. Why were the adults the only ones that weren't mean?  
Maybe people got nicer as they got older? She wiped her eyes determinedly. Staying in this class wouldn't change anything. If she wanted to find out she'd have to skip another grade.  
Could she even do that?  
\--  
"Daddy I want to take another end of year test and advance."  
Kizashi turned off the stove before coming to sit next to her at the kitchen table where her homework was spread out.  
"Is something wrong, sweetheart?"  
She didn't bite her lip, knowing it would give her away.  
"No daddy, I'm just bored. I think with your help I could be ready by the end of the month. I've been doing good in spars and marksmanship, too. Please~?"  
Kizashi melted at her pleading, although the worried look on his face didn't entirely fade.  
"Alright love, as long as your mother agrees I don't mind. Just don't push yourself too hard, ok? You don't want to turn into a frog, do you? (1)"  
Kizashi scratched at his stubble before showing off a cheesy grin.  
Sakura just groaned, trying to ignore the twisting guilt in her stomach from tricking her daddy.  
\--  
Sakura stayed after class to talk to Asami-sensei. As the brown-haired woman gathered her paperwork, Sakura came to stand before her, waiting patiently.  
Asami stopped and looked up.  
"Can I help you, Sakura-chan?"  
"Asami-sensei, I want to take the year end exam."  
Asami studied her carefully.  
"Not that I'm really surprised, but are you sure that's really what you want?"  
Sakura kept her face blank.  
"Yes, sensei."  
Asami hmmed before nodding.  
"Alright. I can schedule it. Give me until tomorrow after lunch and I'll have more information for you."  
Sakura grinned in relief.  
"Thank you, sensei."  
\--  
The test was a week later and her mother sent her off with a kiss and a hearty bento that day for luck.  
The written test was to list the ninja rules, write a short essay on the battle that ended the second war, and answer sone math and general knowledge questions.  
Sakura finished it in half the time feeling a little cheated.  
The taijutsu test was a spar against Asami-sensei, with two unfamiliar teachers looking on.  
While Sakura took some hits, she also stayed standing for a full two minutes before getting thrown over Asami-sensei's hip and into the dirt.  
She only managed to kick Asami-sensei in the shin when she'd clumsily tried to counter a kick that was too fast for her, but judging by Asami-sensei's smile she hadn't done too badly.  
The weapons part of the test was the easiest. She'd drilled kunai and shuriken throwing with her mama until she could hit the target with her eyes closed.  
Four out of ten in the bullseye and all her throws in the inner ring. Sakura grinned.  
She ate her bento with its umeboshi and rice on one side with octopus sausages and pickled vegetables on the other while the teachers graded her test.  
"Sakura-chan, we're ready for you."  
She was going to miss Asami-sensei's kindness, she decided.  
"We've decided to place you in the fourth year, Sakura-chan. Your taijutsu and weapons skills are good enough and academically you wont benefit from another year of basic language and math studies.  
You'll be expected to study the third year topics and catch up to the fourth year students during the upcoming summer vacation. When classes resume this fall, you should be prepared for an assessment before you join your class. Do you have any questions?"  
Sakura swallowed reflexively before shaking her head no.  
"Congratulations, Sakura-chan."  
Asami's smile, while still kind suddenly seemed a little fake, like she would smile even if Sakura said she didn't want this. What had she gotten herself into?  
\-----  
(1) Dokonjo Gaeru (Gutsy Frog) is an anime. What can I say, Kizashi brings the bad dad jokes. 

Also, although my author's note states that I have sporatic internet that's actually a warning for the future. For now I'm able to respond to comments just fine, so could someone leave one? Thanks.

I will probably keep blowing through scenes at a pretty steady clip for another chapter. If anyone is mortally offended by this let me know. 

Until next time. 

\- Sade


	3. Chapter 3

The summer was a whirlwind of activity for Sakura. Training with her mother when she wasn't on missions, studying with her father when he got back from work, she was happy everyday.  
Tanabata was beautiful and Sakura fervently hoped for things to get better in the Academy that fall as she tied her wish to a bamboo stalk.  
The streets were awash in a multitude of colors and full of people in their festive best. Her father wore a purple yukata with white fireworks printed on it while her mother was in a simple dark blue yukata with printed black leaves in honor of their village.  
Sakura wore white with pink cherry blossoms, and her father had exclaimed that she was a beautiful little flower when he saw her.  
Sakura walked down the street holding her parent's hands and gazing at the streamers that crossed over the village walkways. Mebuki looked down at her even as they easily maneuvered around the other festival-goers.  
"Sakura-chan, what did you wish?"  
Sakura grinned.  
"I wished for a good rest of the school year, mama."  
"Careful Mebuki, you don't want her wish to go up in smoke like a burnt tanzaku.(1)"  
Sakura met her mama's eyes and they both groaned.  
"Don't be so superstitious Kizashi. With a little luck it's people that make their own wishes come true. Don't worry Sakura."  
As her parents bickered Sakura watched a group of kids walk by, chatting happily. One day, Sakura would have friends like that. She just had to keep working hard and she'd find a place where she belonged.  
Her eyes misted a bit from the strength of her longing, but she blinked until it went away. She didn't want to upset her parents by crying.  
The rest of the evening was less fun after that. After claiming she was tired they went home early. Sakura fell asleep clutching a stuffed cherry blossom and dreaming of a happier future.  
\--  
She recognized him as one of the teachers from her assessment. Mizuki-sensei had white, bandana covered hair and angular features, giving him a slightly foxy look.  
He was also very, very strict.  
"Today we start training our chakra. Each of you will come and get a leaf for the leaf concentration exercise. Once you get your leaf return to your seat."  
The students got in line, completely silent and soon completed the instructions.  
"Now focus until you feel a warm sensation and then direct it to holding the leaf on your forehead. I'll demonstrate."  
After showing the students what it looked like, Mizuki returned to his desk and focused on his own work, leaving them to figure it out themselves.  
Sakura wanted to say something, but the oppressive atmosphere of the classroom prevented it.  
The one and only time she had asked someone about it she had been shushed and warned about 'punishment.'  
Sakura was afraid of what that punishment would be.  
She took her leaf and held it loosely in her hand as she tried to think of how to detect the warm sensation. Her parents hadn't told her about this yet and Sakura wasn't really sure what to expect.  
She decided to close her eyes and see if she could feel anything. She felt her arms and legs, the leaf in her hand, the ground under her feet. Sakura carefully catalogued sensations until she realized that something was different from when she started. It was just there as soon as she noticed it, like the feeling of a hot homecooked meal in her stomach.  
It made her think of her mother's hugs and her father's laughter. Wondering, she directed the warmth to her forehead and it went with only a little resistance. She put the leaf there and when she let go it stayed there.  
Sakura smiled slightly, afraid of losing focus.  
"Good job, Sakura."  
The leaf dropped on the desk as she opened her eyes in surprise.  
Mizuki is standing over her, a sharp smile on his face that made her uncomfortable.  
He turned to look at the other students.  
"It looks like the new kid is better than the rest of you. You all should work harder, follow Sakura's example instead of daydreaming all day."  
The rest of the class glared at her and her stomach sank.  
Mizuki smiled at her again.  
"See me after class Sakura."  
Sakura nodded, eyes downcast.  
A few minutes later she heard a voice whisper.  
"I heard from my little sister that she's always getting special treatment and the teachers call her a prodigy. How annoying."  
Sakura bit her lip. A couple of the kids had been nice to her when she joined the class, the girls cooing over how cute she was. Judging from the looks she was receiving Mizuki had just put a stop to that. She should have realized that doing well at school would make her stick out. What was she supposed to do? It was too late to pretend, everyone was expecting things of her.  
One thing she knew was that she wouldn't let her parents down after everything they'd done for her. She'd just have to bear it until she could figure something out.  
\--  
She stood stiffly behind Mizuki's desk as he looked her over.  
"Sakura, your talent with chakra is unlike anything I've seen before. I want to give you extra lessons. I can get you excused from kunoichi classes as long as you keep up with the book work. What do you say?"  
Sakura wanted to say no, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made it clear it hadn't been a question. After a few moments of internal struggle she caved.  
"Yes, sensei."  
He smiled his sharp smile at her again.  
"Good. We'll start tomorrow."  
\--  
"We're going to start with a few chakra exercises. For the first one, you're going to walk up a tree. I'll demonstrate."  
They were standing on the edge of an Academy practice field where it met a small grove of trees and Mizuki wasted no time making a half ram seal to concentrate his chakra before confidently walking up the side of a nearby tree. Sakura's eyes went wide. She was gonna learn to do that? She'd seen ninja jump between the rooftops around Konoha, but she didn't realize they got there by walking up walls.  
"Now you try."  
Sakura didn't really know what she was doing. Mizuki hadn't trained them in circulating chakra to different parts of their bodies yet. Was she supposed to just know how to do it?  
She formed the half ram seal, focusing on the warm feeling in her stomach. She couldn't force it to do anything, but she found if she just gently nudged it in the direction she wanted it to go that the amount going to that area increased.  
She sent as much to her feet as she could manage and placed her foot on the tree. She felt the chakra pushing her foot away and decreased it until her foot stuck to the tree. Releasing the chakra in her other foot she jumped up until both feet were on the tree, wobbling and eventually falling on her butt.  
She stared at the tree, her little brow furrowed. She hadn't timed it right.  
"Try again."  
She looked back at Mizuki only to find him looking at her sternly. She quickly got back up and concentrated her chakra again. This time she made a split second decision and ran at the tree, leaping onto it with both feet simultaneously. There was a brief falling sensation before she stabilized, abdomenal muscles engaging. Once she was sure she could hold her position she back flipped to land on her feet once again. She turned to Mizuki  
There was a brief look of shock on his face before he grinned at her. His eyes were squinted nearly shut making it hard to see the look in them.  
"Very good Sakura. Now do it again. When you get low on chakra you'll meditate instead."  
How was she supposed to know when she was low on chakra? Would she feel tired?  
"Yes, sensei."  
\--  
Days passed. The other students left her alone for the most part. There were more whispers that followed her, but Mizuki's blatant favoritism and harsh demeanor deterred any outright bullying.  
If it weren't for her parents, she'd be entirely alone except for Mizuki. She still felt uncomfortable around him at times, but his training methods, while harsher than her parents', began to make sense to her.  
He was pushing her to the limits of her natural ability with chakra. Every exercise was a test of her intelligence and chakra intuition.  
The water walking exercise took days merely because she didn't have enough chakra to practice for long. She spent a lot of time meditating.  
A month went by before her reserves increased enough to stay on the surface for an 'acceptable' period of time.  
And then things changed.  
\--  
"Today we're going to start working on ninjutsu. I'm not starting you on the basics, you can learn those from someone else. Here, channel chakra into this."  
He gave her a cream colored sheet of paper and Sakura took a second to think. How much chakra should she use?  
Since Mizuki had been vague as always she used only a small tendril, not wanting to overload the delicate object.  
It crumbled even as it grew damp and she ended up with mud.  
Mizuki's eyes narrowed.  
"A dual affinity? That's fairly rare."  
He smiled at Sakura a little gleefully.  
"This is good, Sakura-chan. If you start training now, you should be able to master both affinites."  
Sakura returned his smile shyly. It was the first time that he had called her '-chan.'  
Mizuki walked to the nearest tree and grabbed a leaf.  
"Your exercise is to turn this leaf into mud."  
She took the leaf and settled down to meditate, thinking carefully. Based on what her daddy had told her, elemental affinities were part of a person's chakra. But she couldn't feel it so it must be a small part. Did that mean she had to make it a bigger part to have it affect the leaf?  
She ran her chakra through the leaf very gently, not surprised when nothing happened.  
But to turn it to mud she'd have to use both affinities at once. How would she do that?  
She thought maybe she would have to split her focus. If she was able to split her chakra and make one more water like and the other more earth like, would she be able to combine them to change the leaf?  
It sounded like the most difficult thing she'd ever had to do. It sounded fun.  
\--  
A week later she still hadn't made any progress.  
"Sakura. Take a break. I'm going to teach you a jutsu."  
Curious, Sakura gave up on trying to split her chakra and stood up.  
"This is the first academy genjutsu. The bunshin no jutsu is the easiest jutsu to learn because it requires little chakra and control. The handseals are ram, snake, and tiger. You should visualize the number of illusory copies of yourself you want to create. Give it a try."  
Sakura furrowed her brows. This was a genjutsu and based on what they'd learned in class genjutsu used a 70/30 mix of spiritual chakra to physical chakra. But they weren't going to try different mixes until the end of the year.  
She had a lot of experience using her chakra now, though, so she could feel it when her physical and spiritual energies mixed.  
She tried to draw more on her yin chakra this time, focusing her mind on creating a three dimensional image of herself. Once it felt like the mix was right she went through the handseals.  
"Bunshin no jutsu."  
A small amount of chakra rushed from her and she found herself looking at her mirror image. She shivered a little when she realized the copy's eyes were as blank as a doll's.  
Mizuki nodded in satisfaction, obviously expecting this result.  
"Good. Now keep working on it until it's lifelike and you can move it around easily. Once you can do that, focus on making more than one and controlling them simultaneously. I'll check your progress tomorrow."  
With that he left, Sakura not having anything to do but continue practicing until her kunoichi classes would normally end. She sighed. Mizuki was leaving her more and more due to her lack of progress with the leaf. It made Sakura anxious in a way she didn't understand. Why was she afraid of failing when she'd only wanted to make friends at the academy anyway? She liked learning new things, but lately it felt like it was neverending and she could never learn enough. It made her sad. When would it stop?  
But she didn't want to disappoint her parents and she didn't want to disappoint Mizuki-sensei either. She was just so tired.  
Rather than dwell on it further, Sakura turned herself back to her training. Somedays, when her parents were busy and she was alone it felt like training was all she had left.  
\---

(1) tanzaku are the pieces of paper people write their wishes on for tanabata.

Poor Sakura. She's a victim of her own success. The angst wont be forever though. Promise.

Also, as cliche as it is this type of bullying and favoritism is more common than one might think. I actually ended up skipping eighth grade because of bullying, so yeah. 

I would have updated yesterday, but I did a lot of brainstorming for this story instead. I've got an outline up until Sakura's twelve and we're now going in a very different direction than I originally thought. It should be a lot of fun to write.

If you think there's an area where my writing needs improvement please let me know. I want to become a better writer. :)

Until next time.

\- Sade


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura stood at the edge of the practice field, watching a couple other kids spar.  
"Sakura, come here."  
Mizuki called her from where he stood apart from the other students.  
"Yes, sensei?"  
"You're up next and I strongly suggest that you win."  
"...Yes, sensei."  
Sakura moved back towards the other students, standing to the side a bit so she could see and so she didn't have to interact with them.  
"Uchiha Mizuchi and Haruno Sakura, step forward."  
Now she understood Mizuki's comment. He wanted her to win against the best taijutsu user in class. The one time she'd sparred against Mizuchi-kun she'd lost and he never failed to remind her of that fact.  
She squared off against Mizuchi warily. If she wanted to win she had to be careful, but he was fast. She'd have to focus on her footwork and look for an opening.  
The Uchiha clan used a taijutsu style known as Shourei-ryuu, or the style of inspiration, which was quite formidable. The style required the user to exploit every available angle of attack resulting in an acrobatic style that often confused and overwhelmed opponents. They typically combined their taijutsu with bukijutsu and genjutsu, making it even more devastatingly effective.  
Sakura didn't have many options against a taijutsu expert of such a powerful style, but there were a number of things she knew not to do.  
No grappling, for one. Uchiha were often excellent grapplers and Mizuchi was no exception. Not to mention being stronger and bigger than her.  
She couldn't let him out of her sight, otherwise she wouldn't know where his attack was coming from until it was too late. They were in a relatively small ring, so she couldn't evade him forever either.  
How to beat a taijutsu expert when you could only use taijutsu and in a confined area, at that?  
Trickery, or course.  
Sakura ducked a backhand, reeling back to avoid his follow-up kick. He was backing her towards the boundary, but Sakura wasn't going to make it easy for him.  
She was just a little faster than he was and small enough to be difficult to pin down and she used that advantage for all it was worth.  
He feinted left making a grab for her with his right hand that she narrowly evaded.  
If he got his hands on her it was all over.  
She continued to give ground, focused on both avoiding his attacks and carefully measuring the distance behind her.  
Once she felt she was almost too close she rolled through an opening under his kick, spinning to face him even as his follow up back kick flew past her nose.  
He followed after her with a furious combo, clearly frustrated that she wouldn't engage him directly. Carefully breathing through her nose she kept up the chase for several long seconds, waiting patiently for her opening.  
Eventually she saw it. Mizuchi's brow twitched and he rushed her, seeking to end the fight. Instead of evading, as he no doubt expected, she met him directly.  
Stepping forward she lodged the ball of her foot in the juncture between his groin and hip, digging in. At the same time she grabbed onto his collar and sat down even as his momentum pushed them back. As Sakura rolled onto her back she kicked out, flinging the startled boy over her head and out of the ring.  
Silence, then Mizuki spoke.  
"Winner, Haruno Sakura by ringout."  
At the sound of his voice the class broke out in furious whispers, only stopping when Mizuki quieted them, an annoyed look on his face.  
A she passed through the door that Mizuki was holding open for them, he spoke.  
"Good job Sakura-chan."  
She merely nodded and kept going, still not used to him praising her when he never praised the other students.  
In the end she couldn't really blame them for disliking her.  
\--  
"I still think it's too early for her to be advanced again. She's barely been in this class for a month and a half. She at least stayed in the second year class for most of the first term."  
Funeno was staring at him with heavily furrowed brows and a severe frown.  
Mizuki resisted the urge to scowl. Instead he smiled ingratiatingly.  
"I understand, but there's not much more for her to learn in my class. She's already able to channel and control her chakra better than any other student at the academy and since this year is focused on building the foundations for ninjutsu, she's wasting her time."  
Asami looked skeptical.  
"Can she even do any jutsu yet?"  
Mizuki nodded, fixing a proud look on his face.  
"She has an excellent grasp on bunshin no jutsu and her chakra control is so precise that she can already water walk."  
There was a collective look of shock that took over the faces of the other teachers in the conference room.  
The third year teacher, Kaigan-sensei, was the first to recover.  
"I knew you petitoned to get her out of kunoichi lessons so you could train her, but I can't believe you've gotten that far along with her. What else are you teaching her?"  
Mizuki adjusted his bandana bashfully.  
"It's all her, really. She's so talented with chakra manipulation that she finishes the exercises I give her easily. The only thing I've been able to find that she struggles with is chakra nature manipulation. She's been working on it for weeks now. It barely took her a day to learn the bunshin no jutsu at a genin level."  
There was a contemplative silence after that and Mizuki knew he had them. The girl's talent with ninjutsu and genjutsu was too precious to go to waste. They wouldn't be able to resist advancing her.  
Suzume-sensei, the fifth year instructor, spoke up finally.  
"He's right. It's in the village's best interest to graduate her early to make the most of her potential. With control like that she could even become the next Tsunade-sama, for all we know.  
My only concern is that she hasn't had a significant amount of time with a single class. It'll affect her teamwork if she's assigned to a team. But I have a solution.  
If she's as good as you say overall she should manage being in the fifth year class. In a couple months they'll be advancing and she can stay with them through the sixth year, or whenever she graduates. It'll give her a chance to make friends among her genin cohort, as well."  
Mizuki subtly grit his teeth. He'd been angling for Sakura to be placed in the sixth year class after a short period in the fifth year class to complete her studies. He wanted her to graduate this year.  
Hiroto-sensei, the sixth year teacher, spoke next.  
"How is her taijutsu? We know her bookwork is flawless, but without equal skill in taijutsu I can't support this plan."  
Mizuki smiled at him, all the while imaging slitting his throat. The old codger was the veteran instructor. The others usually deferred to his experience.  
"She recently beat Uchiha Mizuchi in a spar. As you may be aware he was at the top of my class in the taijutsu rankings. Her aim is excellent as well. She's second in the class in bukijutsu."  
Hiroto seemed mollified to hear that.  
"Alright, I think Suzume-sensei's plan will be for the best then. We'll have a vote on it."  
Mizuki put a submissive simper on his face and nodded obediently. He was going to murder this miserable fool one day.  
Mizuki, Hiroto, and Suzume voted to advance Sakura pending her sitting the fourth year exam. Funeno and Asami remained opposed. After looking around for a moment, Kaigan raised his hand to vote with Hiroto, as usual.  
Mizuki discreetly released a relieved breath. That had been a lot closer than he'd expected.  
"One thing. I want to keep working with her on Nature manipulation. She shouldn't have to quit just because she's advanced, and I know Suzume-sensei has the kunoichi classes to attend to."  
Suzume frowned slightly and Mizuki knew he'd have to be careful around her.  
Hiroto however, merely nodded.  
"I agree. Now, onto the matter of expanding the training area..."  
Mizuki fisted his hands under the desk to keep the smirk off his face.  
It was only a matter of time now.  
\--  
When Mizuki told Sakura that she was advancing another year, Sakura felt a mix of dread and relief. On one hand, she was glad she wasn't going to be in Mizuki's class anymore. On the other, she felt that she was already busy enough studying and training to keep up with the other students in her class. Would she even be able to handle the extra work?  
Mizuki chuckled, smiling reassuringly at her.  
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, you'll be staying with this class until you graduate. And besides, you'll still have lessons with me and we can cover anything you're having trouble with."  
Thinking of the way he looked at her everyday she failed with the leaf exercise made her wonder if that was a good thing or not.  
But at least she would stay with this class for awhile. She didn't have much hope, but maybe she could make a friend or two this time.  
\--  
Kizashi frowned darkly, while even Mebuki looked concerned. They sat around the dinner table, silverware set aside at Sakura's announcement.  
Mebuki pursed her lips.  
"Did you request the advancement this time too, Sakura-chan?"  
Sakura shook her head.  
"I didn't even know until it had been decided."  
Mebuki shared a worried look with a still angry looking Kizashi.  
Kizashi scowled suddenly.  
"It's that teacher of yours, Mizuki. First he ends up with you in his class after you skip an extra grade for no apparent reason, then he wants to tutor you and now this? I don't understand why he's pushing you so hard when you clearly don't want it."  
Mebuki shot her an evaluative look even as Sakura struggled to come up with an answer.  
"It's because she can handle it. Every teacher wants to teach a prodigy. Because of his ambition he's overlooking her needs."  
"It's not right. I bet that bastard is keeping his private lessons with you, isn't he?"  
Sakura nodded.  
"See Mebuki, that man's no good."  
Mebuki sighed.  
"Language, Kizashi. I agree, but what can we do about it? He's not wrong. His job is to produce ninja to serve the village, not to let talent go to waste. It's not what's best for Sakura, but do you honestly expect a stranger to care?"  
"Sandaime-sama's slipping if he assigned a man like that to the academy."  
"Yes, but it could be worse. At least Danzou-sama no longer has influence there."  
They both shuddered.  
"Who's Danzou-sama?"  
Mebuki looked at Sakura in surprise, almost as if she forgot she was listening.  
"He's an elder of Konoha. He's very strict."  
"As strict as Mizuki-sensei?"  
Mebuki's lips tightened and she looked at Sakura sadly for a moment before answering.  
"Much stricter, Sakura-chan. If he ever talks to you make sure you tell him no, ok?"  
Sakura was a little puzzled by that, but nodded obediently regardless.  
"I promise, mama."  
Mebuki sighed again, reaching across the table to take Sakura's small hand.  
"I know it'll be stressful for awhile, but do your best honey."  
She paused.  
"And if you fail just remember we'll always love you no matter what."  
Mebuki grinned.  
"At least you'll be with a new sensei that hopefully wont push you so hard, right?"  
Sakura nodded, smiling herself.  
"And if they're less strict than Mizuki-sensei maybe I can make some friends."  
"That's the spirit!"  
Watching them, Kizashi finally relented and grinned with them.  
"Right. Just remember, you can't make friends if you're not stern enough. Or was that too stern?(1)"  
Mebuki and Sakura groaned in concert.  
\--  
Sakura stood in front of her new class, nervous but trying to hide it.  
The bespectacled woman turned to her.  
"My name's Suzume-sensei."  
She turned to the class.  
"Everyone, this is Haruno Sakura. She hasn't been in the academy long so I'll be relying on you all to help her catch up."  
A girl with a ponytail raised her hand eagerly.  
"How long is not long?"  
Suzume, to Sakura's surprise, didn't chastize the loud girl.  
"This is her first year."  
There were sounds of surprise and whispers until the girl raised her hand again, sharp canines fully visible as she grinned.  
"Does that mean she hasn't done survival training?"  
"Yes. Although her scores are excellent she has little practical experience."  
"You should assign her to my group then, sensei. I'll take care of her."  
Suzume smiled slightly.  
"As you say, Hana."  
\---  
Trivia: hana means flower, but it also means nose. I prefer to think that Tsume named her kids nose and fang, personally.

My headcanon is that Danzou had a lot more influence within both the village and the academy before the whole Root thing. I also think he was ANBU commander before the current one and given that ANBU are always reporting to him in the manga, it doesn't seem weird that Kizashi and Mebuki would know and be worried he'd try to get Sakura to join ANBU. They don't even need to know about Root to know his reputation, really.

Remember Mizuki was on the evaluation board for Sakura's previous advancement? Yeah, Kizashi's right, he's totally the reason she skipped the third year. Wonder what his motive could be?

Mizuchi is either a water dragon or water diety. Uchiha seem to have a lot of water related names so it seemed fitting. Shisui means still water and Izumi means spring, for instance.

Shou-ryuu is really the style of inspiration, although I don't know what it's like.

The move Sakura uses is from Judo and is a lot of fun to pull off. :)

(1)Kizashi's joke is a pun in Japanese. Tomo means friend, but it also means stern.

This chapter was much easier to write than the last one. Hopefully the next will be easy too. :)

Until next time.

-Sade

**Author's Note:**

> I would appreciate comments, but my internet access is infrequent so please don't be offended if I don't respond. Also this was typed on my phone. Please excuse any typos.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. ; )


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